Lower Limb Amputations- A Necessary Evil- An Observational Study from a North Indian Tertiary Care Hospital

ABSTRACT

Limb loss to amputation is a major problem especially in developing countries where majority of the cases are preventable. It is a burden, not just for the patient, but also for their care givers which imposes tremendous financial and psychological burden upon them. The aim was to outline the patterns, indications and complications of lower limb amputations among patients admitted to MMIMSR, Mullana, Ambala, India, which is a tertiary care centre.METHODSThis was a prospective, observational study that was conducted at MMIMSR, Ambala, for a period of 18 months. 50 patients underwent lower limb amputations in our hospital during the study period.RESULTSThe age ranged between 23 to 85 years. Males outnumbered females by a ratio of 4.51. Toe disarticulations were the most common. Diabetes mellitus (DM) was the most common cause (62%) followed by Non-DM peripheral vascular disease (PVD) (22%). Two patients expired in the post-operative period. Infection of the stump was the most common local complication in the post-operative period. Hospital stay ranged from 6 days to 40 days.CONCLUSIONSAlthough trauma is still the most common cause of lower limb amputations (LLA) in the developing nations, amputations for complications of diabetes is on the rise and may be the leading aetiology in future. Diabetic gangrene followed by PVD were the common causes of amputation in our settings. The study shows that most of the causes are potentially avoidable. Community health education programmes that are primarily focussing on road safety measures, early presentation to the physician and good diabetic control are pivotal to decrease the incidence of amputations for preventable indications.